So You Want to be a Craps Pro

My first piece of advice on this topic is simple. Don’t give up your day job.

As the Mad Professor once said, “Gambling is a tough way to make an easy living.” Most of the pros I know would agree. But if you insist on taking your shot at playing professionally I strongly suggest you start by developing a plan for success. It all begins with effective goal setting. Here are some of the things you might want to consider as you undertake this task.

1. Understand why you play the game. Why do you play craps? Are you playing for entertainment or are you playing for profit? What is it about the game that makes you willing to spend hours at a time standing at a craps table? Most players take up the game for certain reasons, but eventually find they are playing for different reasons. Entertainment, camaraderie, and the chance to win money are all given as reasons to take up the game. But for the majority of players, craps is not really about winning or losing money. The money is only how we keep score. Craps is really about learning to control YOU. The guys who try to play professional and fail – generally fail because they cannot master themselves. They have no discipline. As you master the game you learn about yourself – your strengths and weaknesses, and how to use and overcome them to become successful. Craps is a gateway to discovering powers and skills we all have, even when we think we don’t. What do you want from the game of craps? What do you want from yourself? The first step is to decide on your own personal motives. Do you want to play for your own reasons – or someone else’s? The choice is yours. Just know the answer.

2. Formulate a plan to achieve your purpose. The first time I drove from Dallas to Las Vegas I had to have a map. But in order to use a map it’s not enough just to know your destination. You also have to know where you are starting from. Without that information I might have ended up in South Dakota. And even with a map, there were several routes to choose from. Some were shorter, some longer. Some were scenic, some more tedious. So before I left Dallas, I formulated a plan that would get me where I was going in the easiest, most enjoyable way. The same is true with your craps plan. Formulate a plan that you will enjoy executing on a daily/weekly basis. If you don’t enjoy it, you won’t do it. And remember, the mental rewards come in the process of accomplishing, not in the accomplishment itself.

3. Measure your results along the way. There’s an old saying in the business world: What gets measured gets done. When you achieve your goal, whether it is a high sevens-to-rolls ratio, a sixty-number hand in the casino, or something as simple as a modest $100 win, you can then decide if that is all you want. If you want more, you simply set another goal. And remember, all precision shooters have sessions where they toss the dice well and still lose money, or toss the dice poorly and win big. Which scenario do you think would provide the most enjoyment? Thinking that only a perfect on-axis toss will bring you the most enjoyment is the route to failure. To improve your toss and play better is an ongoing process that begins with enjoying yourself, which ultimately results in improved play.

4. Acknowledge and reward your success. If your goal is to win a particular amount of money and you fail, acknowledge that the training you put into that effort was still successful. You might not have hit your win objective for that day, but your efforts will lead you to another, perhaps bigger win. Remember, you cannot control every factor at the table. You can only put forth your best effort, which ultimately makes you a winner.

Now is the time to program your craps game for the future. Your current thoughts – the crap between your ears – will create that future. Give your brain the tools it needs to get the results you want.

Remember, in order to set good goals, you must be able to measure your success; the goals must be meaningful to you; they must be under your control, they must be positive, and they must be reachable.

Craps Game Plan:

1. Set goals that you truly want to achieve.

2. Set a reasonable date for achieving your goals

3. Set interim “check-points” to measure progress.

4. Make an action plan for each goal listing the steps you area going to take to achieve it.

5. Set a pace that is comfortable so you won’t feel any stress or anxiety trying to achieve the goal.

6. Acknowledge the smallest successes. If you take care of the small goals, the larger ones will just happen.

7. When you accomplish the goal, congratulate yourself on the success – then set a new goal.

Remember to watch your thoughts, they become words. Watch your words, they become actions. Watch your actions, they become your habits. Watch your habits, they become character. And watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.

Dice Control Seminar DVD

Heavy's Axis Power Craps Dice Control Seminar is now available on DVD!
This is the breakthrough video that sent the competition back to the drawing board. This was first professionally produced DVD demonstrating the mechanics of a controlled dice shot. Here are a few of our customer comments on the DVD:

Heavy doesn't just tell you what to do - he SHOWS you what to do."

"The other guys promised me gold - Heavy delivered."

"Heavy has thrown another winner!"

"Fixed my toss and made me a winner."

This DVD includes the portion of the seminar that deals specifically with the mechanics of the grip and toss, along with roughly twenty minutes of tossing and coaching live at the craps table. You'll see Heavy and his students setting and throwing the dice with the camera running real time to show the results.

Altogether you'll receive almost three hours of player education featuring the best dice sets, grips, tosses, and more. In addition, we cover betting strategies, money management, discipline, focus, the mental edge, and playing the comp game to win. You'll also receive the e-versions of the seminar workbook, manuals from our other seminars, handouts and strategy cards as an added bonus. Order now and we'll also include a copy of Heavy's"Crapshooter's Buffet" audio CD - recorded live at the Las Vegas Craps Festival in 2001.

Order the Axis Power Craps Seminar on DVD via PayPal below for just $189.00 plus shipping and handling. US customers add $6 shipping and handling - $195 total. Canadian customers add $16 shipping and handling - $205 total. Order on-line via PayPal below:
APC DVD
The Axis Power Craps Clinic on DVD - it's the next best thing to being there!

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Heavy’s Axis Power Craps E-Book

Buy Heavy's Axis Power Craps Manual!
Axis Power Craps details five skill sets almost anyone can learn. Master these and you too can become a precision craps shooter. Order now and find out how!

Axis Power Craps includes betting strategies for every dice pre-set arrangement. Precision dice shooting works for both right-way and wrong-way play. Your package features an instructional 100 page workbook with dozens of photographs of dice pre-sets and grips. Each book comes with two shirt-pocket precision dice shooting strategy cards, as well as practice forms you can duplicate and use to record your rolls.
Axis Power Craps is just $19.95 in e-book format. You will receive the book via e-mail within 24 hours of making payment. The dice setting strategy cards will be sent via 1st class mail, so be sure to include your mailing address. Order on-line through PayPal at this link:

If you prefer to pay by check or money order, send your remittance to:

Steve "Heavy" Haltom
P.O. Box 7094
Tyler, Texas 75711

Be sure to include your shipping address and e-mail address for order confirmation.

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Heavy is Availble for Private Craps Lessons

Looking for private craps lessons to sharpen your skills? Heavy is available for private lessons in his Craps Pit in East Texas, live in Las Vegas, Biloxi or Tunica, or right at home in the comfort of YOUR craps pit. A private lesson makes a great birthday or anniversary present and his highly recommended if you’re ramping up for an upcoming trip to Vegas.

3 hour Friends, Spouses and Significant Others Private Lesson for Two on Basic to Intermediate Craps and Dice Control - $599

6 hour Friends, Spouses and Significant Others Private Lesson for Two on Basic to Intermediate Craps and Dice Control – includes lunch - $899

8 hour “Six Pack” Group Private Lesson on Basic to Intermediate Craps and Dice Control. Up to six players can take over Heavy’s craps pit for a full-blown Axis Power Craps private seminar, including Heavy’s TrendMaster Betting Class as an added bonus. Price includes lunch and libations. Designated driver required. $595 per person with a four person minimum.

Looking for private lessons in Vegas, Biloxi, or Tunica? All classes conducted in a casino dealer school on authentic casino craps tables. You and up to six of your friends can take over the school for the day for the full Axis Power Craps private seminar – including Heavy’s TrendMaster Betting Class as a special bonus! That’s 8 hours of group time with Heavy. Price includes dealer school rental and a pizza lunch delivered to the school. $795 per person with a four player minimum. Add a live casino session with Heavy for just $100 per person more with a four player minimum. A 60 day advanced reservation is required to insure availability of the dealer school.

If you have a private table in your home and would prefer to take a class on it - private lessons are available for you as well. Final cost will depend on your location and travel expenses incurred relative to the class. A private Axis Power Craps class, including Heavy’s TrendMaster Betting Strategy training for you and up to five of your friends will likely run around $695 per person with a four person minimum. Final price will be determined at time of registration.

Please note: Classes are available on weekends only and must be booked a minimum of 30 days in advance. 60 day advance registration required for Las Vegas, Tunica, and Biloxi. Need more details? E-mail Heavy direct at axispowercraps@gmail.com with the Subject line: Private Lessons for an immediate response.

Axis Power Craps Dice

Axis Power Craps Dice!
Looking to sharpen your practice skills with regulation casino dice? Look no further. Axis Power Craps is proud to offer these beautiful 3/4 inch flush-spot, razor edge, high polished dice.
Created from an exclusive cellulose acetate formula developed to insure clarity, hardness and stability, these dice are milled to 1/10,000th of an inch and certified perfectly balanced. They are the perfect dice to take your practice sessions to the next level.
Each five-die stick is serialized and stamped with the Axis Power Craps logo. Designed with precision dice shooter practice in mind, these dice are only sold in two-stick sets containing one stick of red dice and one stick of green dice. Both sticks have matching serial numbers. Your cost? $39.99 plus $3 shipping and handling - just $42.99 total.
To order and pay by mail send your remittance payable to: